Page 75 of By the Sword
On his orders, the household was ordered to assemble in the great hall while from all over the house came the sound of furniture being upended, beds scraping and splintering wood.
Price himself entered the hall and stood with his hands on his hips surveying the Seven Ways household, with a tight smile of malicious triumph.
The pristine condition of his military uniform and his generally well-rested demeanour indicated he had seen precious little of the previous day’s fighting if any.
‘What is the meaning of this outrage, Colonel?’ Kate demanded.
He rubbed his hands together. ‘Surely you know why I’m here, Mistress Ashley.’
‘No? Tell me.’ Kate’s voice was cold.
‘We’re seeking traitors, escaped from the battle which the Lord in his mercy gave to us.’ Price turned his eyes heavenwards.
‘Well you’ll find none here, save old men, women and children,’ Kate replied, indicating her household.
‘Come, Mistress Ashley.’ The gleeful smile widened. ‘It’s common knowledge that those two malignants, Giles Longley and Jonathan Thornton, were here before the battle.’
‘I’ll not deny that they were here,’ Kate said. ‘They, like you, came with armed men, and while I can hardly prevent Lord Longley from visiting his wife or Thornton his sister’– she cast a sidelong look of feigned displeasure in Nell’s direction–’I made it abundantly plain to that ungodly man that this house is no longer his and he is not welcome. Any of my household can bear witness to that conversation.’
To her gratification, a low murmur of assent from the assembled household, accompanied by nodding heads, bore out the apparent truth of her words. The Thornton household had, by dint of long practice, become accomplished dissemblers.
Price covered his annoyance with bluster but before he could complete his invective on the character of Jonathan Thornton, the door of the great hall opened and another officer entered. He joined Price and surveyed the assembled household with a cold, unsympathetic eye.
The newcomer was a man in his mid-thirties, fair-haired and not ill-looking, despite a thinning pate. His eyes, red-rimmed with exhaustion, rested on Kate’s face. Her breath caught and for the first time since Price had arrived, a wave of genuine fear clutched her heart.
The house in York had been dark and she had carried no light. Surely he would not have been able to see anything more of herthan a shadowy figure in the gloom but she did not doubt the identity of the man who now stood appraising her with cold, blue eyes.
Jonathan’s nemesis, Stephen Prescott, had come to Seven Ways.
To her relief, she saw no recognition in Prescott’s haggard, battle-stained face.
‘Ah, Prescott.’ Price turned to greet him. ‘Any success?’
Prescott shook his head. ‘No sign of the traitors, but we did find these.’
He flung Nell’s crucifix and rosary and her devotional missal to the floor in front of the women. Nell gave a sharp cry of distress.
‘We seem to have unearthed a little nest of papists, Colonel,’ Prescott remarked.
Colonel Price indicated Nell. ‘Indeed, Major. The papist is this lady– Lady Eleanor Longley, whose husband was with the traitor Charles Stuart and who is sister to Thornton. However this lady’– he indicated Kate–’is Mistress Katherine Ashley. Mistress Ashley is the widow of a Captain Richard Ashley of Fairfax’s Regiment who, I am told, perished at Marston Moor. We have no reason to believe that Mistress Ashley is anything but loyal to our cause, despite having given food and lodging to the traitors.’ He took a step towards Kate. ‘I will ask you again, madam. Have you seen either Giles Longley or Jonathan Thornton since the battle?’
Kate met his eye. ‘No, I have not seen either man since the battle. They know better than to come again to this house. It was enough that they saw fit to billet themselves here before the battle. I assure you I would have sent word to you as soon as they set foot here again.’
Price gave a snort of exasperation. ‘If you have finished, Prescott, we will leave Mistress Ashley in peace for now.’ Heturned on his heel then, as if struck by a thought, turned back to her. ‘However, I have every reason to believe Longley or Thornton will try to make their way here. They have nowhere else to go. We will return, Mistress Ashley.’
‘I have no doubt you will, Colonel,’ said Kate, fighting to keep her voice even despite the terror that clutched her heart, ‘but it will avail you nothing. I will have no traitors in my house and you have my assurance that I will contrive to send you word if they arrive on my doorstep.’
The door slammed shut behind the two men and Price could be heard barking orders to depart.
Kate let out a breath and ordered the servants to return to their duties and restore order to the house.
As Nell dropped to her knees, gathering the small icons of her faith in her hands, Kate walked over to the window. She took a deep breath and grasped the window ledge to stop her hands from shaking as she looked down into the courtyard.
Prescott strode out of the door and as he swung himself into the saddle, he looked up at the house. She saw the wolfish malevolence in his face that went beyond an enmity born of differing allegiances and a cold chill ran down her spine. Price wanted Seven Ways and Jonathan Thornton had all but opened the door to him.
Clutching her crucifix and missal to her chest, Nell joined her at the window. ‘I’m sorry, Kate. I told you I would bring nothing but trouble.’
Without looking at her she said, ‘Before I met Jonathan Thornton I had never told a lie in my life. Now all I seem to do is lie, and so much seems to depend on how good a liar I can be.’
